On Track

5 May 2025

The Debrief by Aramco: Miami Grand Prix

The sixth round of the 2025 Formula One World Championship got underway at Miami International Autodrome. Get the thoughts of Lance, Fernando and our team from across the weekend.

A weekend of mixed outcomes and mixed conditions in the Sunshine State.

Sunday round-up and reaction

Further rain hit Miami International Autodrome ahead of the Grand Prix. The circuit dried up enough for our drivers to begin on dry tyres, but patches of water remained and the threat of further rain loomed.
Our duo opted for opposite strategies. Fernando began from P17 on Hards, while Lance started on Mediums from P18. Both gained places off the line, with Lance up to P15 by the end of the first lap.
Lance's pitstop came at the end of Lap 20, switching onto the Hard compound. At the end of Lap 28, Fernando switched his Hards for Mediums under a Virtual Safety Car.
After 57 laps around the circuit, Fernando and Lance concluded the race in P15 and P16 respectively.

P15

F. Alonso

FL: 1:31.287

P16

L. Stroll

FL: 1:31.769

#18 | Lance Stroll | Race

"Difficult race for us today and very tricky conditions, as we expected. We just simply lack pace – we've been slow all season so far and today wasn't any exception. With an uneventful race and no opportunities, it just shows how we're not competitive and need to look at improving the car in all areas."

#14 | Fernando Alonso | Race

"Tough race. We didn't have the pace the whole weekend, and we expected the race to be difficult. We faced similar challenges today that we've had all season and couldn't capitalise on any chaos ahead of us. We need to get better and hopefully in Imola take a step forward."

Andy Cowell | CEO & Team Principal

"Today's results in the Miami Grand Prix are a reminder that we are simply lacking car performance. There were very few opportunities to progress from our starting positions and the race turned out to be a comfortable one-stop race for the entire field.

"It was important that we scored four points with Lance yesterday in the Sprint, but under normal dry conditions we don't have a car capable of competing for points right now. We need to continue to analyse where we can improve and work hard to be more competitive in Imola."

Next up

We'll be making our way to Emilia-Romagna for the beginning of another triple-header, with Free Practice getting started on 16 May.

Saturday

Rain hit the track ahead of the Sprint and created tricky conditions that resulted in a suspended starting procedure and subsequent Red Flag.
Once the Sprint got going, our drivers both had strong starts on the Intermediates. Beginning in P10 and P16 respectively, Fernando had climbed to eighth and Lance to P11 by the end of the first racing lap.
The track dried quickly, allowing Lance to pit for dry tyres at the end of Lap 11. Fernando came in two laps later, but his Sprint came to an unfortunate end after contact from behind, resulting in a Safety Car with Lance running in P7.
Following post-Sprint penalties, Lance secured a top-five finish and claimed four points.
In Qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix, Fernando and Lance finished P17 and P19 respectively.

#18 | Lance Stroll | Sprint & Qualifying

"We know we don't have the pace currently and finished Qualifying as we expected. We made some positive set-up changes following the Sprint and the car felt the best it has been all weekend, but we know we are just not quick enough. So it felt really good to get a decent result in the Sprint earlier today.

"It's the little wins at the moment, and it felt like everything fell into place, with lots of opportunities and some good decisions. But we're not where we want to be right now and need to find more pace."

SPRINT

1:27.830

P19

#14 | Fernando Alonso | Sprint & Qualifying

"A difficult day. In Qualifying, we just didn't have the pace to proceed to Q2, so it will be a challenge to score points tomorrow. We need to better understand the issues and find some pace.

"In the Sprint, I was having a perfect race and felt competitive. We should have taken dry tyres earlier, but we were still going to score points when Lawson made contact with me.

"Thank you to the team on the ground who helped repair the car before Qualifying: the mechanics always perform at the top level so thanks to them."

SPRINT

DNF

1:27.604

P17

Andy Cowell | CEO & Team Principal

"An eventful day in Miami with a wet Sprint and a dry Qualifying session keeping us busy and the fans entertained. Lance scored four points in the Sprint with an excellent race and well-judged strategy. Fernando's Sprint was looking good, too, as he ran in the points until Liam [Lawson] pushed him into wall in the closing laps.

"Getting Fernando's car fixed and out in time for Qualifying required a massive team effort – drawing on the component preparation work done back at base – and both sides of the garage helping with repairs.

"The Qualifying results are reflective of our pace combined with such a tight grid. Let's see what we can do to progress up the field tomorrow, especially if the rain showers return. We will be ready to maximise any opportunities in the race."

Friday

After setting a single lap on all slick tyre compounds, Lance and Fernando spent the majority of the weekend's sole Free Practice collecting information on the Medium compound. They then switched to Softs for the final 15 minutes.
Practice came to an early end following a Red Flag. After spending the session getting up to speed with the circuit, our duo secured a total of 45 laps.
Later in the day, Sprint Qualifying got underway in the 305, with Lance qualifying P16, only just missing out on SQ2.
Fernando made it through to SQ3, where he secured a P10 start for tomorrow's Sprint.

#18 | Lance Stroll | Free Practice & Sprint Qualifying

"Sprint Qualifying didn't play out well for me today: I had a lot of traffic on my final push lap and was a bit unlucky with where I came across [Max] Verstappen on the final straight. All of that cost me a few tenths and I just missed the chance to get through to SQ2.

"Let's see what tomorrow brings for the Sprint race. Hopefully some opportunities come our way and there is a chance to make up some positions."

FP1

1:29.362

P20

SQ1

1:29.028

P16

#14 | Fernando Alonso | Free Practice & Sprint Qualifying

"It's a bit of a surprise to qualify where we did because the car is still struggling with balance and it's not always consistent - but all in all, a good day.

"This is the first time I have made it through to SQ3 this season so hopefully we can keep up that momentum. Only the top eight cars will score points tomorrow, but we will try our best."

FP1

1:28.243

P10

SQ1

1:28.455

P13

SQ2

1:27.766

SQ3

1:27.790

P10